Retina-displays Will Add Up To 100$ To MacBook Pro Costs

According to CNET’s report, "Retina" or "HiDPI" displays widely rumored to be used in MacBook Pro models are now available in the supply chain and they costs up to 100$ more than existing non-Retina displays.

Senior Analyst in DisplaySearch Richard Shim said that a 15.4-inch Retina display with 2880x1800 resolution and 220 ppi density currently costs about $160, compared to the 68$ Apple spends on displays in current 15-inch MacBook Pro models.

A Retina display for the smaller 13-inch MacBook Pro at 2560x1600 resolution costs $134 compared to the 69$ the company pays for current models. The cost of the 3840x2400 display for 17-inch MacBook Pro is not mentioned, but it will certainly carry an even higher premium over the display in current models.

However it is unclear whether the 17-inch model will receive the same upgrades as smaller MacBook Pro models at Worldwide Developers Conference, as most of the rumors so far have indicated that only 13-inch and 15-inch models are in production. Moreover, Apple has been rumored to not shifting the whole MacBook Pro line to MacBook Air form factor at once, instead introducing 17-inch model several months after the release of the 15-inch model.

Shim notes that Apple is the most likely candidate for purchasing these screens in the supply chain, but he has been unable to determine what company or companies are buying them for their computers.

Also it remains unclear how Apple will handle the increased costs for storage as the company reportedly plans to replace traditional hard drives with solid-state drives in the upcoming MacBook Pros, although some cost savings will result from removing the optical drive. Such drives are already used in MacBook Air models, but MacBook Pro higher-end users will likely require higher-capacity drives at considerably higher costs.